Musical-instrument string



. 1,617,102 Feb. 8, 1927. H H 1 MUSICAL INSTRUMENT STRING Original Filed July 10, 1918 nvvsuroa H err/1am 60220,

Patented Feb. 8, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN conn, on NEW YORK, N. Y., assrenon T WALTER ennrson, on NEW YORK, n. Y.

MUSICAL-INSTRUMEN T STRING.

Refiling of application Serial No. 244,155, filed July 10, 1918.

This application filed May 20, 1926.

Serial No. 1 10,381.

The present invention relates to improvements in musical instrument strings, and this *application is a refiling of my abandoned application Serial N 0. 244,155, filed July The invention particularly relates to steel E-strings, such for instance as are used upon 5 violins, although it will be understood that my present improvements are not confined to violin E-strings but may be used also for strings of other musical instruments. Steel E-strings forviolins have heretofore been usedbecause .of their greater strength over the silkand gut strings, but they were 1 possessed of so many disadvantages that I they were very rarely used by musicians of discrimination. They were metallic in tone, became rusty from perspiration, and due to atmospheric conditions, and the feeling to the fingers was entirely difierent from the I feeling ofsilk or gut strings, so that musicians accustomed to playing on such silk or gut strings could not perform with satisfaction upon steel strings. The steel string is also much thinner and harder than silk or gut strings so that it has a tendency to cut the fingers and produce calli.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a steel string so treated as to obviate the disadvantages of the steel. string heretofore used, and to this end I propose to provide a string devoid of metallic tone, waterproof, smooth under the lingers and having a gauge and a degree of softness heretofore possessed only by gut and silk strings. The string, according to my improvements, will be of stronger tone than the present formseof steel strings and as it possesses all of the advantageous characteristics of the silk and gut strings it will appeal to musicians who require a high-class string, which at the same time will not break as quickly as silk or gut strings.

With these and other objects in view an embodiment'of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings and this embodiment will hereinafter be more fully described with reference thereto and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a string embodying my improvements.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing the steel wire partially wound with a silk covering, this figure illustrating one method of winding the silk.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view showing the steel wire completely encased in a silk cove1-- ing, the surface having been treated with a smoothing coating and waterproofing.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the string; and

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the string.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figure 2 thereof, the embodiment of my invention disclosed therein, comprises a steel wire 10, constituting the sound producing element and the main body of the string, which is of a gauge suitable to the tone desired, that is, a violin E-string will be considerably thinner than a violin A- string. The wire is completely enclosed in a nonresonant casing made up of a tight winding of silk 11 relatively thinner than the wire and which may be wound upon the wire in any suitable approved manner, or otherwise placed upon the same in the form of a casing therefor to constitute a sound modulating element.

The silk enclosed wire is then treated to a binding coating 12 adapted to soak through the silk, hardening the same and binding it upon the wire. This coating may be prepared glue or shellac or any other suitable substance. The string is then treated to a smoothing coating of the same material, and in order to produce the greatest uniformity and smoothness this is preferably applied in several very thin layers, these layers being successively applied after the preceding layer has dried. A filler coating of shellac is then placed over the smoothing coating and fills in the spaces or corrugations formed by the contour of the silk thread so that a smooth surface is produced, and finally the string is treated to a waterproofing film or coating 13 which renders the coating absolutely air-tight and prevents the absorption of moisture so that there is no possibility of the wire becoming rusty either due to atmospheric conditions or to perspiration. A suitable waterproofing material is a composition of gelatin and bichromate of potash.

The string, according to my invention, has a full, brilliant tone entirely free of metallic sound due to the absorption or breaking up by the nonresonant casing of the unharmonic overtones of the metallic core. The string possesses the strength and Wear resisting qualities of the steel string and in use it has the desirable attributes of a silk or gut string, being soft and smooth and of sufficient thickness to prevent cutting of the fingers. The tone is substantially the same as that of a gut string.

I have illustrated and described a preferred and satisfactory embodiment of my invention but it is obvious that changes may be made therein Within the spirit and scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A musical instrument string comprising a core of metallic Wire and a nonresonant casing surrounding the core and adhesively secured thereto, said casing having a smooth outer surface and formed of nonmetallic and substantially moisture-proof substance.

2. A musical instrument string comprising a core of metallic Wire and a nonresonant casing surrounding the core and including an adhesive and a porous nonmetallic substance impregnated by the adhesive and secured thereby to the core, and a film of Waterproof material.

. 3. In a musical instrument string, a metallic Wire constituting the main body of the string, a soundmodulating casing comprising a Winding of silk thread relatively thinner than said Wire and enclosing said wire, means binding said thread to said Wire, and a smoothing coating adapted to fill in the corrugations formed by said thread Winding and adapted to give the said string a uniformly cylindrical shape.

In a musical instrument string, a metallic Wire constituting the main body of the string, a sound modulating casing comprising a Winding of silk thread relatively thinner than said Wire and enclosing said wire, means binding said thread to said wire, a smoothing coating adapted to fill in the corrugations formed by said thread Winding and adapted to give the said string a uniformly cylindrical shape, and an outer fi linlike coating of a moisture-proof substance.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name hereto.

HERMAN CQHN. 

